This story is from March 19, 2015

Pallavaram residents struggle with irregular water supply

Summer is yet to set in but residents of Pallavaram and Chromepet are already reeling under a severe water shortage because the level in the recharge wells around the Palar river is depleting.
Pallavaram residents struggle with irregular water supply
CHENNAI: Summer is yet to set in but residents of Pallavaram and Chromepet are already reeling under a severe water shortage because the level in the recharge wells around the Palar river is depleting.
According to residents, 2.5 lakh people in 42 wards in the two localities, which come under the Pallavapuram municipality, used to get 55 lakh litres of water a day but are now forced to manage with just 20 lakh litres a day.
While residents of Pallavaram were supplied by Metrowater, the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board (TWAD) supplied residents of Chromepet, both drawn from the Palar river.
The residents claim they are forced to buy packaged water from private suppliers because of the inadequate supply. When contacted, officials of the Pallavapuram municipality said a few overhead tanks had been constructed to meet the crisis.
Federation of Civic and Welfare Associations of Pallavaram president V Santhanam said the authorities should construct more overhead tanks and ensure a constant supply of water. “When we are paying our taxes regularly, it is the bounden duty of the authorities to meet our demands,” he said.
Santhanam also pointed out that the drop in the level in the Palar river had resulted in water shortage in many southern suburbs in Chennai. The situation in other parts of the city was also not very good, he added.
Many others said they were worried about what they would be forced to endure in the coming months. “The situation looks bleak as we depended on supply from the Palar river for our daily needs,” said M Sagayaraj of Subham Nagar in Pallavaram.
S Varalakshmi, also of Pallavaram, said many women like her were forced to walk to nearby places to fetch pots of water from overhead tanks.
Officials in the municipality said they were doing everything the could to ensure there was no crisis. Municipal commissioner S Shiva Subramaniam said, “Work will begin soon on sinking more borewells and we will also get 120 lorry loads of water daily to meet the need.”
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